The title has been administered by the New Zealand Boxing Association and New Zealand Professional Boxing Association since 1885.
A champion will often voluntarily relinquish the title in order to fight for a higher-ranked championship, such as the world. Where the date on which a champion relinquished the title is unclear.
Name | Reign | Duration of reign | Title | Defences | Note | Barney Donovan | 1 | 22 August 1885 | New Zealand Title | 2 | Donovan last defence on 5 December 1885 |
Torpedo Billy Murphy | 1 | 26 July 1887 – 24 November 1887 | New Zealand Title | 2 |
Ike Fake | 1 | 24 November 1887 | New Zealand Title | 0 | Fake never defended his title. |
Torpedo Billy Murphy | 2 | 23 June 1888 – 2 February 1889 | New Zealand Title | 3 |
Tommy Williams | 1 | 2 February 1889 | New Zealand Title | 2 | Williams last defence on 1 January 1890 |
Thomas Neagle | 1 | 5 June 1891 | New Zealand Title | 0 | Neagle never defended his title. |
Jack Nicholson | 1 | 25 May 1892 – 12 April 1893 | New Zealand Title | 1 |
Richard Campbell | 1 | 12 April 1893 | New Zealand Title | 0 | Campbell died of injuries sustained in the bout where he won this title. |
Hock Keys[1] | 1 | 20 September 1905 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 0 | Keys relinquished title when he returned to Australia later in 1905. |
Jimmy Ross | 1 | 10 August 1906 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 0 |
Bob Turner | 1 | 29 November 1906 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 0 | Turner relinquished the title when he returned to Australia later in 1906. |
Tim Tracey | 1 | 10 May 1907 – 14 October 1908 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 5 |
Bob Rollo | 1 | 14 October 1908 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 0 | Rollo relinquished the title when he returned to Australia later in 1908. |
Tim Tracey | 2 | 28 January 1909 – 18 August 1909 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 3 |
Rudy Unholz | 1 | 18 August 1909 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 0 | Unholz never defended his title. |
Tim Tracey | 3 | 25 September 1909 – 22 September 1911 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 6 |
Billy Hannan | 1 | 22 September 1911 – 9 November 1911 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 1 |
Tim Tracey | 4 | 9 November 1911 – 11 December 1911 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 2 |
Alf Gault | 1 | 11 December 1911 – 3 June 1912 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 2 |
Peter Cook | 1 | 3 June 1912 – 21 August 1912 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 1 |
Len Porter | 1 | 21 August 1912 – 11 December 1912 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 3 |
Jimmy Hagerty | 1 | 11 December 1912 – 31 January 1913 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 1 |
Lyn Truscott | 1 | 31 January 1913 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 0 | Truscott never defended his title. |
Jimmy Hagerty | 2 | 12 February 1913 – 3 June 1913 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 2 |
Len Porter | 2 | 3 June 1913 – 1913 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 0 | Porter stripped of title by NZBA later in 1913. |
Jimmy Hagerty | 3 | 12 August 1913 – 1914 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 4 | Hagerty relinquished title. Cook was named Champion by NZBA later in 1914 |
Peter Cook | 2 | 1914 – 2 November 1915 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 5 |
Matt James | 1 | 2 November 1915 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 1 | James retires in 1919, vacating the title. |
Gus Venn | 1 | 5 May 1920 – 30 December 1920 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 1 | Venn was award the title due to the vacant title opponent was overweight. |
Jack Keenan | 1 | 30 December 1920 – 26 March 1921 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 1 |
Frank O'Neill | 1 | 26 March 1921 – 10 November 1921 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 1 |
Les Murray | 1 | 10 November 1921 – 1926 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 5 | Murray relinquished title in 1926. |
Charlie Purdy | 1 | 1927 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 0 | Purdy who was awarded the title in 1927, had relinquished it without defending that same year. |
Hector Leckie | 1 | 4 October 1929 – 26 January 1931 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 1 |
Harry Johns | 1 | 26 January 1931 – 3 October 1932 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 2 | Johns died of injuries sustained in his last defence. |
Archie Hughes | 1 | 3 October 1932 – 24 April 1933 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 2 |
Ted Oxley | 1 | 24 April 1933 – 3 March 1934 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 2 |
Joe Franklin | 1 | 3 March 1934 – 15 September 1934 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 0 | Franklin stripped of title by NZBA September 15, 1934 |
Joe Franklin | 2 | 14 December 1934 – 1915 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 0 | Franklin retired in 1935, vacating the title. |
Jack Jarvis | 1 | 31 August 1935 – 13 August 1938 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 5 |
Clarrie Rayner | 1 | 13 August 1938 – 23 October 1939 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 4 |
Jack Jarvis | 2 | 23 October 1939 – 1945 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 1 | Jarvis retired in 1945, vacating his titles. |
Percy Kelly | 1 | 8 December 1945 – 1 April 1946 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 1 |
Young Jim Griffin | 1 | 1 April 1946 – 28 May 1948 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 0 | Griffin retired May 28, 1948, vacating the title. |
Percy Kelly | 2 | 16 November 1948 – September 1951 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 2 | Kelly retired September 1951, vacating the title. |
Syd Stevens | 1 | 29 October 1951 – 14 February 1953 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 2 |
Frank Wilson | 1 | 14 February 1953 – 16 May 1955 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 1 |
Johnny Hanks | 1 | 16 May 1955 – 2 July 1956 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 1 |
Joe McNally | 1 | 2 July 1956 – 12 September 1960 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 5 | Title vacated by Joe McNally's retirement. His last defence was on 18 July 1959. |
Dion Murphy | 1 | 10 October 1963 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 0 | Murphy relinquished title without defending it. |
Brian Maunsell | 1 | 18 November 1965 – 19 May 1966 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 1 |
Manny Santos | 1 | 19 May 1966 – March 1967 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 0 | Santos temporarily retired because of an eye injury and relinquished the title without defending it. Santos also held the Commonwealth title which also was relinquished. |
Rex Redden | 1 | 20 August 1970 – 25 February 1971 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 0 | Redden retires in 1971, vacating the title. |
Lance Austin | 1 | 27 May 1994 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 0 | Austin retired after winning this title. |
Clinton Simmonds | 1 | 1 September 1994 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 0 | Simmonds vacated the title without defending. |
Peter Warren | 1 | 13 May 2000 – 4 November 2000 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 1 |
Richard Pittman | 1 | 30 June 2000 | New Zealand Professional Boxing Association | 0 |
Santos Pakau | 1 | 4 November 2000 | New Zealand Boxing Association | 1 | Pakau last defence was 21 April 2001. |
1. ^{{cite web|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19050921.2.25&cl=CL2.1905.09.21&e=-------10--1----0--|title=keys defeats tracy|publisher=The Evening Post}}